Social distancing disregarded in Cosmo City
“The one van I usually see doing patrols cannot do anything. Maybe the army is the solution,” she suggested.
The emphasis on social distancing by government seems to have fallen on deaf ears in some communities.
Keeping this considerable distance among individuals wasn’t the case at a Cosmo City shopping centre where patrons were captured crammed in queues to enter a retail supermarket.
A resident of Cosmo City, Tidimalo Mohale, told Northsider that the people in Cosmo City still go about their day as if there is no 21-day lockdown.
“People, especially in Extension 6 where I live, are not bothered with the set of rules to prevent the coronavirus. Supermarkets are still operating and some spaza shops as well,” she said.
When asked about police intervention, she said she doesn’t think enough manpower has been deployed in Cosmo City to deal with the problem. “The one van I usually see doing patrols cannot do anything. Maybe the army is the solution,” she suggested.
With the recent reactivation of community patrols, change might be on the horizon. The Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, Faith Mazibuko recently called upon community patrollers and Community Policing Forums (CPF) to resume their duties.
According to a statement, 3 000 community patrollers have been deployed by Province to assist with monitoring compliance with National Disaster Regulations. Their job will be to manage queues in malls, shopping centres and all other hot spots where such a challenge might be identified during lockdown.
